The role of the intermediate resonance <Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript>(980) in the decay <Emphasis Type="Italic">η</Emphasis> → <Emphasis Type="Italic">πγγ</Emphasis>

It is shown that if the a₀(980) boson is the scalar chiral partner of a π meson, its contribution to the transition η → πγγ has a value comparable to that originated by vector meson exchange. Together, these two mechanisms give the decay probability consistent with the experimental observation.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">σ</Emphasis> meson in hot and dense matter

An important role of the scalar isoscalar σ meson in low-energy physics is discussed. The behavior of the σ meson in a hot and dense medium is studied. It is shown that, in the vicinity of the critical values of the temperature (T) and the chemical potential (μ), the σ meson can become a sharp resonance. This effect can lead to a strong enhancement of the processes ππ → γγ and ππ → ππ near the two-pion threshold. Experimental observation of this phenomenon can be interpreted as a signal of approaching the domain where the chiral symmetry restoration and the phase transition of hadron matter into quark-gluon plasma take place.     

Effect of a meson cloud on the jet nuclear modification factor in <Emphasis Type="Italic">pA</Emphasis> collisions

We study the effect of the nucleon meson cloud on centrality dependence of the jet nuclear modification factor R _pA. We find that the meson–baryon Fock components may lead to a noticeable deviation of R _pA from unity. Our results for R _pA show the same tendency as that observed by ATLAS in p + Pb collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV. The meson cloud suppresses the central jet events and enhances the peripheral jet events. However, quantitatively the effect is somewhat smaller than in the data.     

Pseudoscalar mesons and their radial excitations from the effective chiral Lagrangian

The effective chiral Lagrangian is derived from QCD in the framework of the field correlator method. It contains the effects of both confinement and chiral symmetry breaking due to a special structure of the resulting quark mass operator. It is shown that this Lagrangian describes light pseudoscalar mesons, and Gell-Mann-Oakes-Renner relations for pions, eta and K mesons are reproduced. The spectrum of radial excitations of pions and K mesons is found and compared to experimentally known masses.     

The trinification model <Emphasis Type="Italic">SU</Emphasis>(3)<Superscript>3</Superscript> from orbifolds for fuzzy spheres

In this review, we consider an N = 4 supersymmetric SU(3N) gauge theory defined on the Minkowski spacetime. Then we apply an orbifold projection leading to an N = 1 supersymmetric SU(N)³ model, with a truncated particle spectrum. Then, we present the dynamical generation of (twisted) fuzzy spheres as vacuum solutions of the projected field theory, breaking the SU(N)³ spontaneously to a chiral effective theory with unbroken gauge group the trinification group, SU(3)³.     

Differential-geometric structures associated with Lagrangians corresponding to scalar physical fields

The paper is devoted to the investigation, using the method of Cartan–Laptev, of the differential-geometric structure associated with a Lagrangian L, depending on a function z of the variables t, x ¹,...,x ⁿ and its partial derivatives. Lagrangians of this kind are considered in theoretical physics (in field theory). Here t is interpreted as time, and x ¹,...,x ⁿ as spatial variables. The state of the field is characterized by a function z(t, x ¹,..., x ⁿ ) (a field function) satisfying the Euler equation, which corresponds to the variational problem for the action integral. In the present paper, the variables z(t, x ¹,..., x ⁿ are regarded as adapted local coordinates of a bundle of general type M with n-dimensional fibers and 1-dimensional base (here the variable t is simultaneously a local coordinate on the base). If we agree to call t time, and a typical fiber an n-dimensional space, then M can be called the spatiotemporal bundle manifold. We consider the variables t, x ¹,...,x ⁿ , z (i.e., the variables t, x ¹,...,x ⁿ with the added variable z) as adapted local coordinates in the bundle H over the fibered base M. The Lagrangian L, which is a coefficient in the differential form of the variational action integral in the integrand, is a relative invariant given on the manifold J ¹ _H (the manifold of 1-jets of the bundle H). In the present paper, we construct a tensor with components Λ⁰⁰, Λ⁰ⁱ , Λ ^ij (Λ ^ij = Λ ^ji ) which is generated by the fundamental object of the structure associated with the Lagrangian. This tensor is an invariant (with respect to admissible transformations the variables t, x ¹,...,x ⁿ , z) analog of the energy-momentum tensor of the classical theory of physical fields. We construct an invariant I, a vector G ⁱ , and a bivalent tensor G ^jk generated by the Lagrangian. We also construct a relative invariant of E (in the paper, we call it the Euler relative invariant) such that the equation E = 0 is an invariant form of the Euler equation for the variational action integral. For this reason, a nonvariational interpretation of the Euler equation becomes possible. Moreover, we construct a connection in the principal bundle with base J ² H (the variety of 2-jets of the bundle H) and with the structure group GL(n) generated by the structure associated with the Lagrangian.     

QCD with Chiral Chemical Vector: Models Versus Lattices

A formation of Local Parity Breaking (LPB) in central heavy-ion collisions (HIC) at high energies is discussed. LPB in the fireball can be produced by a difference between the number densities of right- and left-handed chiral fermions (Chiral Imbalance) which is implemented by a chiral (axial) chemical potential. Based on the effective meson Lagrangian motivated by QCD in the chiral medium the properties of light scalar and pseudoscalar mesons (π, a₀) are analyzed. It is found that exotic decays of scalar mesons arise as a result of mixing of π and a₀ vacuum states in the presence of chiral imbalance. The pion electromagnetic formfactor obtains a parity-odd supplement which generates a photon polarization asymmetry in pion polarizability. We believe that the above-mentioned properties of LPB can be revealed in experiments on LHC, RHIC, CBM FAIR and NICA accelerators.     

Axial-vector mesons and the problem of π<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis><Subscript>1</Subscript> mixing

In the framework of the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model, a mechanism for eliminating the off-diagonal πa ₁ transitions from the effective meson Lagrangian is investigated. The problem is considered in the oneloop approximation for the quark loops. We employ the minimal superposition linear in the fields, a _μ ^' = a _μ ? c?_μπ, and show that the covariant transformation properties of both the axial-vector and vector physical fields are affected by this substitution. Contrary to some claims found in the literature, we demonstrate that the discussed change in covariant transformation properties of these fields does not result in various violations of chiral symmetry, but rather reduces to a redefinition of the S-matrix elements beyond the mass shell. At the same time, the covariant and noncovariant approaches yield identical on-shell results.     

A modification of Einstein–Schrödinger theory that contains Einstein–Maxwell–Yang–Mills theory

The Lambda-renormalized Einstein–Schrödinger theory is a modification of the original Einstein–Schrödinger theory in which a cosmological constant term is added to the Lagrangian, and it has been shown to closely approximate Einstein– Maxwell theory. Here we generalize this theory to non-Abelian fields by letting the fields be composed of d × d Hermitian matrices. The resulting theory incorporates the U(1) and SU(d) gauge terms of Einstein–Maxwell–Yang–Mills theory, and is invariant under U(1) and SU(d) gauge transformations. The special case where symmetric fields are multiples of the identity matrix closely approximates Einstein–Maxwell–Yang–Mills theory in that the extra terms in the field equations are < 10^?13 of the usual terms for worst-case fields accessible to measurement. The theory contains a symmetric metric and Hermitian vector potential, and is easily coupled to the additional fields of Weinberg–Salam theory or flipped SU(5) GUT theory. We also consider the case where symmetric fields have small traceless parts, and show how this suggests a possible dark matter candidate.     

Method of determination of muon-catalyzed fusion parameters in H-T mixture

A method for measurement of the muon-catalyzed fusion (μCF) parameters in an H-T mixture is proposed. The kinetics of the μ-atomic and μ-molecular processes preceding the pt reaction in the ptμ molecule is described. Analytical expressions are obtained for the yields and time distributions of γ quanta and conversion muons formed in nuclear fusion reactions in ptμ molecules. It is shown that information on the desired parameters μCF can be found from the joint analysis of the time distributions of γ quanta and conversion muons to be obtained in experiments with the H-T mixture at three (or more) appreciably different atomic concentrations of tritium. The experiments with the H-T mixture at the meson facility PSI (Switzerland) were optimized to gain precise information about the desired μCF parameters.     

Tests of discrete symmetries with the neutral kaon system at the KLOE and KLOE-2 experiments

The KLOE-2 experiment continues and extends the program of its predecessor KLOE in the field of discrete symmetry tests with the K meson system, among other studies which comprise light meson spectroscopy, dark matter searches and γγ physics. Together, KLOE and KLOE-2 have recorded the largest sample (almost 8 fb^??1) of e⁺e^? collisions at the energy equal to ? meson mass, amounting to 2.4 × 10¹⁰ of produced ? mesons. We report on the latest results and ongoing analyses of KLOE and KLOE-2 concerning discrete symmetry tests and measurements of symmetry-violating observables. A measurement of the CPT violation sensitive asymmetry in semileptonic decays of K˙S with 1.7 fb^??1 of KLOE data will be presented, which improves the sensitivity w.r.t. previous measurements about twice. Moreover, status of direct tests of T and CPT in transitions of neutral kaons performed with the ? →K˙SK˙L → πeν, 3π⁰(2π) processes will be reported, followed by the search of the CP-violating decay K˙S → 3π⁰ using the data recently acquired by KLOE-2.     

Near-threshold <Emphasis Type="Italic">J</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">ψ</Emphasis>-meson photoproduction on nuclei

On the basis of the first-collision model that relies on the nuclear spectral function and which includes incoherent processes involving charmonium production in proton–nucleon collisions, the photoproduction of J/ψ mesons on nuclei is considered at energies close to the threshold for their production on a nucleon. The absorption of final J/ψ mesons, their formation length, and the binding and Fermi motion of target nucleons are taken into account in this model along with the effect of the nuclear potential on these processes. The A dependences of the absolute and relative charmonium yields are calculated together with absolute and relative excitation functions under various assumptions on the magnitude of the cross section for J/ψN absorption, the J/ψ-meson formation length, and their inmedium modification. It is shown that, at energies above the threshold, these features are virtually independent of the formation length and the change in the J/ψ-meson mass in nuclear matter but are rather highly sensitive to the cross section for J/ψN interaction. The calculations performed in the present study can be used to determine the unknown cross section for J/ψ-meson absorption in nuclei from a comparison of their results with data expected from experiments in the Hall C of the CEBAF (USA) facility upgraded to the energy of 12 GeV. It is also shown that the absolute and relative excitation functions for J/ψ mesons in photon–nucleus reactions at subthreshold energies are sensitive to the change in the meson mass and, hence, carry information about the properties of charmonium in nuclear matter.     

Monte Carlo Glauber wounded nucleon model with meson cloud

We study the effect of the nucleon meson cloud on predictions of the Monte Carlo Glauber wounded nucleon model for AA, pA, and pp collisions. From the analysis of the data on the charged multiplicity density in AA collisions we find that the meson–baryon Fock component reduces the required fraction of binary collisions by a factor of ~2 for Au + Au collisions at √s = 0.2 TeV and ~1.5 for Pb + Pb collisions at √s = 2.76 TeV. For central AA collisions, the meson cloud can increase the multiplicity density by ~16–18%. We give predictions for the midrapidity charged multiplicity density in Pb + Pb collisions at √s = 5.02 TeV for the future LHC run 2. We find that the meson cloud has a weak effect on the centrality dependence of the ellipticity ?₂ in AA collisions. For collisions of the deformed uranium nuclei at √s = 0.2 TeV, we find that the meson cloud may improve somewhat agreement with the data on the dependence of the elliptic flow on the charged multiplicity for very small centralities defined via the ZDCs signals. We find that the meson cloud may lead to a noticeable reduction of ?₂ and the size of the fireball in pA and pp collisions.     

Lagrangian structure functions in hydrodynamic turbulence

Based on a solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for the inertial range of fully developed turbulence, a statistical theory is developed to determine the Lagrangian structure functions K _n (τ). Over times τ shorter than the large-scale correlation time τ_c, they obey scaling relations of the form K _n (τ) ∞ \(\tau ^{\zeta _n } \). Analytical expressions are derived for ζ _n . A detailed comparison between the theory and the experimental results presented in [1] demonstrates complete quantitative agreement. A new concept is introduced in turbulence theory: the correlation R _n (τ) between tracer-particle positions on a Lagrangian trajectory. It is shown that the position correlation functions R _n exhibit universal scaling behavior for n > 3.     

On the Bosonic Atoms

We investigate the ground state properties of atoms, in which substitute fermions—electrons by bosons, namely, π^?-mesons. We perform some calculations in the frame of modified Hartree–Fock (HF) equation. The modification takes into account symmetry, instead of antisymmetry of the pair identical bosons wavefunction. The modified HF approach thus enhances (doubles) the effect of self-action for the boson case. Therefore, we accordingly modify the HF equations by eliminating the self-action terms “by hand.” The contribution of meson–meson and meson–nucleon non-Coulomb interaction is inessential at least for atoms with low and intermediate nuclear charge, which is our main subject. We found that the binding energy of pion negative ions A_π^-, pion atoms A_π, and the number of extra bound pions ΔN_π increases with the nuclear charge Z. In particular, for Xe ΔN_π = 4. As an example of a simple process with a pion atom, we consider photoionization that differs essentially from that for electron atoms. Namely, it is not monotonic decreasing from the threshold but has instead a prominent maximum above threshold. We study also elastic scattering of pions by pion atoms.     

A brief introduction to chiral perturbation theory

A brief introduction to the subject of chiral perturbation theory (Xpt) is presented, including a discussion of effective field theory and applications of Xpt in the arena of purely mesonic interactions as well as in the πN sector.     

Rational conformal correlation functions of gauge-invariant local fields in four dimensions

Global conformal invariance in Minkowski space and the Wightman axioms imply strong locality (Huygens principle) and rationality of correlation functions, thus providing an extension of the concept of a vertex algebra to higher (even) dimensions D. We (p)review current work on a model of a Hermitian scalar field L of scale dimension 4 (D = 4) which can be interpreted as the Lagrangian of a gauge field theory that generates the algebra of gauge-invariant local observables in a conformally invariant renormalization group fixed point.     

Virtual Compton scattering off the pseudoscalar meson octet

We present a calculation of the virtual Compton scattering amplitude for the pseudoscalar meson octet in the framework of chiral perturbation theory at O(p ⁴). We calculate the electromagnetic generalized polarizabilities and compare the results in the real Compton scattering limit to available experimental values. Finally, we give predctions for the differential cross section of electron-meson bremsstrahlung.     

Application of the hidden local symmetry effective chiral Lagrangian to evaluation of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">ω</Emphasis>(782), <Emphasis Type="Italic">ϕ</Emphasis>(1020) → 5<Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis> decay widths

The amplitudes obtained from the effective chiral Lagrangian with anomalous terms based on hidden local symmetry are applied to the evaluation of the partial widths of the decays ω → 2π⁺2π^?π⁰ and ω → π⁺π^?3π⁰. Combining the Okubo-Zweig-Iizuka rule, applied to the five-pion final state, with the Adler condition of vanishing of the amplitude at the vanishing of four-momentum of any final pion in the chiral limit, the ? → 2π⁺2π^?π⁰ and ? → π⁺π^?3π⁰ decay amplitudes are also calculated. The partial widths of the above decays are evaluated, and the resonance excitation curves in e⁺e^? annihilation are obtained, assuming reasonable particular relations among the free parameters characterizing the anomalous terms of the Lagrangian. The evaluated branching ratios \(Br_{\phi \to \pi + \pi - 3\pi ^0 } \approx 2 \times 10^{ - 7} \) and \(Br_{\phi \to 2\pi + 2\pi - \pi ^0 } \approx 5 \times 10^{ - 7} \) are such that with the luminosity L = 500 pb^?1, attained at the DAΦNE ? factory, one may already possess about 1340 events of the decays ? → 5π.     

A modification of Einstein–Schrödinger theory that contains both general relativity and electrodynamics

We modify the Einstein–Schrödinger theory to include a cosmological constant Λ _z which multiplies the symmetric metric, and we show how the theory can be easily coupled to additional fields. The cosmological constant Λ _z is assumed to be nearly cancelled by Schrödinger’s cosmological constant Λ _b which multiplies the nonsymmetric fundamental tensor, such that the total Λ =  Λ _z +  Λ _b matches measurement. The resulting theory becomes exactly Einstein–Maxwell theory in the limit as |Λ _z | → ∞. For |Λ _z | ~ 1/(Planck length)² the field equations match the ordinary Einstein and Maxwell equations except for extra terms which are < 10^?16 of the usual terms for worst-case field strengths and rates-of-change accessible to measurement. Additional fields can be included in the Lagrangian, and these fields may couple to the symmetric metric and the electromagnetic vector potential, just as in Einstein–Maxwell theory. The ordinary Lorentz force equation is obtained by taking the divergence of the Einstein equations when sources are included. The Einstein–Infeld–Hoffmann (EIH) equations of motion match the equations of motion for Einstein–Maxwell theory to Newtonian/Coulombian order, which proves the existence of a Lorentz force without requiring sources. This fixes a problem of the original Einstein–Schrödinger theory, which failed to predict a Lorentz force. An exact charged solution matches the Reissner–Nordström solution except for additional terms which are ~10^?66 of the usual terms for worst-case radii accessible to measurement. An exact electromagnetic plane-wave solution is identical to its counterpart in Einstein–Maxwell theory.